Doubling Down
by ItDoesn'tMatterWhoIAm
Summary: Egon Spengler finds himself in an unusual situation shortly after Peter Venkman and Ray Stantz survived similar scenarios. With some gained knowledge and experience the physicist manages to seemingly do the impossible and gain a new role in life. (inspired by popular demand - mpreg within. Don't like? Don't read.)


It had been three months since Ray's little experiment with the regenerative capabilities of special (extremely rare) red slime ghosts had resulted in his successful gestation and subsequent birth of a healthy daughter. In that time Egon had taken careful notes on Ray's physical health, his body's ability to regain its normal physiology and of the potential benefits of using regenerative ghosts in future medicine.

"No ill effects in the past three months?" Egon asked as he gave Ray a routine physical.

"Nope, I've been feeling like my old self." Ray smiled as he spoke. "Now can I finally be cleared and begin Ghostbusting again?"

"Yes." Egon gave Ray the clear. "Your vital signs are all normal and you appear to be completely healthy."

"That's good. Figured everything was normal since I didn't get sick or develop another physical change after Rachel was born."

"Who is watching her while you're here?"

"My Aunt Lois. I just told her that Rachel was adopted. She believed me."

"Very smart cover. As much as I admire your aunt I don't believe she'd be able to comprehend your parentage to Rachel."

"Neither do I."

Winston and Peter greeted Ray as he and Egon left the lab. The three Ghostbusters had a little difficulty in keeping up with the ghosts with their fourth man absent for three months, but having the entire team back together was going to make things considerably easier.

"Nice to have you back." Peter stated happily as he patted Ray's shoulder. "Since you've been gone for so long I think it's only fair that you-"

The alarm went off as a call was reported and the computer set up to answer the calls responded accordingly.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Duty calls."

The four men had received the address of the call from the computer's printer as the quartet rushed into the garage and piled into Ecto-1. Arriving at the scene of the haunting the Ghostbusters were met at the front of the abandoned hospital by the security guard who had called them in. The hospital had been abandoned for fifty years following the unsolved disappearances of several children during the hospital's darkest era.

"So according to the guard he saw three shadows running around in the basement and he could hear children laughing." Peter recapped as lead the way into the hospital through the aged front doors. "Some guard! It's probably just some kids exploring the 'spooky old hospital' on a playground dare!"

"Wouldn't surprise me." Winston agreed. "Me and my friends went exploring old buildings all the time!"

"See?" Peter smugly boasted.

Ray didn't like the idea of kids roaming around a dangerous building without any supervision. "Even if it is just some kids we should do something. We don't want them to get hurt!"

Peter gave Ray annoyed look. "Is that your instinct as a parent kicking in?"

Irritated with Peter's cold attitude Ray scolded his colleague harshly. "It's my instinct as a semi-decent human being! You should try caring about other people for a change!"

Ray's sharp comment stunned the group into silence.

"...Ouch." Winston whispered to break the tense quiet.

Ray immediately blushed and felt horrible. "Sorry Peter..."

Peter didn't say a word to Ray's comment. Instead he kept walking forward deeper into the hospital.

Egon put a hand on Ray's shoulder. "It's okay Ray. We know you didn't mean anything by it."

"Guess I'm just being a little sensitive. Being a father really changes a person." Ray watched as Peter disappeared around the corner. "Except for Peter, I guess."

Winston chose to follow Peter while Ray and Egon stayed back to talk.

"Are you referring to Peter's twins?" Egon asked curiously.

"Yeah. I mean, whenever I look at Rachel I can't imagine my life without her! It seems like even my memories of my life before her are fake since she wasn't a part of them. I just don't understand how Peter could just give up his own children without so much as blinking!"

"I can't answer that. I haven't experienced what either you or Peter have experienced."

"Yeah... I know." Ray still felt bad for snapping at Peter. "Come on. Let's finish this bust and I'll spend the rest of the night apologizing to Peter."

"Very well. Let's explore the basement. I suspect we'll easily identify the problem as either ghosts or children fairly quickly."

"Good idea."

Egon and Ray managed to locate their colleagues who were already inside the expansive basement and checking every little space with their flashlights. There was no sign of anyone nearby but that didn't mean someone wasn't hiding out.

"I'll check the morgue." Egon volunteered fearlessly.

"Go for it." Peter stated dryly. "I won't stop you!"

Locating the door to the morgue Egon stepped inside and shined his flashlight through the room. It was quiet but he could feel someone watching him. Turning his gaze toward a dark corner Egon caught a glimpse of something small lurking in the darkness. Through that glimpse he was certain he saw something red.

"Curious." Egon approached the corner slowly. "A red slime entity in a place like this?"

From the opposite corner of the room another being scurried about, it too appeared red.

"Two?"

From the corner behind Egon a third being snuck up behind him.

Sensing the danger Egon turned around in time to see the third red entity leap up and jump down onto his chest knocking him to the ground! As he fell Egon lost his glasses and could feel the other entities grab onto his arms and hold him down against the floor.

"Get off me!" Egon yelled hoping his friends could hear him from the other side of the basement.

The three red slime ghosts all reached out in perfect synchronization with their long, clawed hands and dragged their sharp nails over Egon's stomach!

Yelping in pain Egon tore his arms from the ghosts and sat upright on the floor. He covered his bloodied stomach with his hands and stared down at the red shades of red; one from his own blood and the other from the residual slime, swimming over his torn up jumpsuit.

"Egon?!" Ray shouted panicked as he ran into the room.

The three ghosts snarled and crouched down behind Egon as the other three Ghostbusters rushed into the morgue.

"Get them!" Peter yelled as he aimed his proton pack and opened fire.

Ray and Winston joined Peter by opening fire, and the three Ghostbusters all managed to catch the three ghosts with their proton beams. Winston took a trap from his belt and tossed it on the ground near the ghosts.

"I have the trap ready!"

"Now!" Peter called out loudly.

Winston pressed the switch on the end of the trap's cord and opened up the trap. The three red ghosts were pulled down inside and sealed away quickly.

"Got them!" Peter turned off his pack and walked over the trap. "Don't pick on Egon! That's MY job."

"Are you okay?" Ray took a knee next to Egon and looked down at his bloodied stomach. "They hurt you!"

"I'll be alright." Egon insisted as he let Ray pull him up to his feet. "It's just a scratch."

"That's a lot of blood for just a scratch!"

"Three scratches, actually."

Winston walked over to Egon and pulled his arm around his shoulders. "Let's get you out of here. There's a first air kid in the car."

Peter rolled his eyes again after he picked up Egon's glasses and followed his friends out of the morgue. "Yeah, I'm sure a band-aid will take care of everything!"

Egon winced as he washed off the remaining blood from the deep, painful scratches that covered his stomach. During the drive back to the firehouse most of the slime had seemed to dry up and very little was left behind to sample. As Egon wiped away the blood he could see that only three of the nine or so scratches were deep, the others were shallow. But stranger still the scratches seemed to be healing at a rapid pace.

Ray walked into the bathroom where Egon was cleaning himself up. He handed Egon a clean towel and looked at the damage caused by the ghosts. "Do you need some stitches?"

"No. The injuries aren't as severe as they look."

"Why did the ghosts attack you? It's not like you provoked them or anything."

"I am uncertain." Egon put a white pad of gauze over his stomach before pulling his shirt back down. "Maybe the ghosts are of a hostile nature and attack anything that invades their territory?"

"I'm just glad you were seriously hurt."

"I'm fine."

"Do you mind if I leave early? I want to get back to Rachel."

"Of course not. Go home."

"Thanks Egon. I'll see you guys in the morning!"

With Ray gone for the night Egon, Peter and Winston gathered in the rec room to watch some TV before going to bed. The call to the hospital was the only call to come in for the day which left the evening open for the three men. As the trio watched an old monster movie from the fifties playing on TV Egon was suddenly overwhelmed with a sharp pain in his stomach. Groaning in pain he wrapped his arms around his stomach and tried to curl around himself on the couch.

"Whoa! You okay?" Winston asked as he watched his friend squirm on the couch.

"Fine!" Egon lied.

"No you're not!" Winston was focusing entirely on Egon now. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No!" Egon tried to sit up straight but the pain on etched on his face wasn't helping his lie. "I just need to go lay down."

"I'll help you." For the second time Winston helped Egon to walk as the pain in his stomach made it hard for him to move.

Peter turned off the TV and followed as Winston guided Egon into the nearby bunk room and helped his lay down.

"Do you need anything?" Winston asked as he stood beside Egon's bed.

"No. I'm sure I'll be fine once I get some rest."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay... Uh. I guess we should all go to bed then, huh? It's late."

Peter knew that Winston wanted an excuse to stay near Egon and jumped onboard. "Yeah, he's right. We'll wait for Ray to come in tomorrow morning. He likes taking care of big babies!"

"Peter!" Winston almost punched him in the shoulder but stopped himself.

"Joke! It's just a joke!" Peter backed away from Egon's bed and toward his own. "Feel better Egon. Get some sleep."

Annoyed but tired Egon took off his glasses and rolled onto his side to try to get some sleep. Winston walked over to his own bed and spent the next hour watching Egon from the distance before he too fell asleep.

All through the night Egon stifled groans of pain as the sharp pain in his stomach turned into a burning pain that forced tears to form in his eyes. Not wanting to worry the others or have to spend the night in the hospital he toughed out the pain as best as he could until he passed out from exhaustion.

Morning came but Egon was still in pain. Unable to hide the pain any longer he submitted to Winston and eventually Ray hovering over him protectively as they did their best to try to ease his pain. Peter hated seeing his friends in pain but hated showing his soft side even more. He retreated into the garage to avoid seeing anything and to try to ignore the fact that he had a friend in need.

For three weeks Egon was stricken was pain that would sear into his core then fade for a while. During those brief moments of respite he was able to sleep or drink some water. A few times he even found enough of an appetite to eat a little bit of soup broth while his friends kept watch over him. Only when a call came in did anyone leave his side, but even so Winston or Ray would hang back.

Never Peter.

After the three weeks had passed the bouts of pain seemed to disappear and Egon was able to get up from bed. The scratches over his stomach had healed entirely over the three weeks and not even a scar was left behind.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ray asked as Egon got up from bed and slowly walked through the firehouse.

"I'm fine. I'm certain that the close proximity to three ghosts after enduring an injury had put an enhanced level of PKE into my body which made it difficult for my body to heal."

"Okay... If you're sure."

"I'm sure."

Peter didn't believe Egon. There was something unusual about Egon that Peter couldn't quite put his finger on, but deep down he knew there was something else going on. But Peter didn't say a word.

(Six weeks after the attack)

Everything had been routine for the four Ghostbusters until one afternoon when Egon suddenly felt sick and ended up throwing up in the alley behind the hotel they had been called to. Ray helped Egon back to the car while Peter and Winston caught the ghost.

"Getting sick?" Ray asked as he sat with Egon on the back of Ecto-1.

"Not sure. Perhaps I ate something disagreeable this morning."

"Hope not. I don't want us all getting taken down with food poisoning!"

(Nine weeks)

Egon had been frequently nauseous but only threw up on rare occasions. Being the mindful scientist he is Egon chose to run a few tests on himself to see if anything usual was happening to his: bacterial infection, virus, etc. and locked himself away in his lab. In order to perform a thorough exam he would need to run a blood and urine test, check his blood pressure and place cardiac leads on his chest to check his vital signs.

As Egon pulled off his shirt he suddenly noticed that his lowed abdomen was slightly swollen. Worried that the scratches caused by the ghosts could have left him with an infected wound the first thing Egon checked was his blood for any sign of bacteria, but there was nothing unusual. Being as thorough as possible he ran the blood through an additional test to check the levels of iron and other commonalities to ensure he didn't have anything toxic in his system.

"Blood pressure normal." Egon wrote down on the clipboard. "Heart rate normal. Body temperature normal."

The final results of his blood test were printed out and he read through the numerous levels quickly. "Normal. Normal. Normal. Nor-" There was one reading that was off. "Abnormal. And... impossible."

Egon felt himself grow pale as he realized how similar his symptoms were to both Peter and Ray after their own encounters with the red slime ghosts.

"It can't be." Egon stood up and pressed his hands along his abdomen, feeling the swelling and slight pressure behind his hands. "I can't be..."

(Twelve weeks)

Egon had run test after test on himself and each test showed the same result. Despite the odds and despite his own personal protests Egon had to accept the truth and tell the rest of the team what was happening.

As he got dressed for the day in his apartment he found that his shirt was already fitting tightly around his stomach. Being a tall man with a slender frame any changes in his weight were very obvious, which of course meant that he'd wouldn't be able to keep his secret for much longer anyway.

Pulling a heavy coat over himself Egon used it to hide as much of his 'condition' as possible before walking to the firehouse.

During his walk Egon mentally prepared himself for what he'd say to his friends, but it seemed he couldn't find the right words. Pushing open the door to the firehouse he met his friends in the rec room and slipped off his coat.

"My friends, I have some unusual news."

"What's going on?" Ray sounded more worried than Egon felt.

"My encounter with the three ghosts three months ago had an unexpected... result."

Winston's eyes went wide while Peter kept a straight poker face.

"It appears as though that I too, like Ray, have been... impregnated."

"You WHAT?!" All three men blurted out loudly.

Egon couldn't bring himself to repeat his statement. Instead he put a hand to his slightly distended stomach and sighed.

"Egon you're...?" Ray walked up to his friend and suddenly wrapped him up in a hug. "That's GREAT!"

"I... Pardon?"

Peter was just as confused as Egon. "Yeah! What he said! How's this great?"

Ray let Egon out of his hug. "Because being a parent is great!"

"Oh..." Peter dismissed Ray's claim. "Congrats. I guess..."

Winston took a moment but soon he too was happy for Egon too. "Ray's right! This is great! And miraculous!"

Egon looked somewhat relieved. "Thank you for being so open minded."

"Kind of hard not to!" Ray joked. "Two of us have already gone through this, so who are we to judge?"

Peter left the room in a huff and remained quiet for the rest of the night while Ray and Winston sat down with Egon to figure out how they'd deal with everything for the next six months.

(Eighteen weeks)

Egon was already quite big, his slender build only emphasizing his growing belly all the more. Having already outgrown his usual attire he had switched to a more casual look of loose fitting t-shirts and blue jeans. Ray and Egon spoke frequently about his pregnancy, comparing the experiences one another were having or previously had, while Winston and Peter took on most of the calls as a duet.

"I do feel bad that I can't contribute more." Egon stated sadly as he put his hand on his growing stomach. "But I fear I wouldn't be able to move very efficiently or would attract unwanted attention."

"Don't worry about it. You took on extra weight for me when I was in your shoes, so I don't mind."

"But you have a child to care for. You must be exhausted."

"Nah. Being a father has given me a burst of energy I've never known! It's not a problem!"

"I can only hope that after my own experience is through I too regain some-" Egon stopped suddenly as he felt movement beneath his hand.

"Egon? You okay?"

"Yes. I am just experiencing a new sensation."

"Good or bad?"

"Good." Egon pressed his hand down harder. "Movement."

"Crazy, isn't it?"

"Yes. I can't quite describe it."

"Neither could I. I kind of miss it from time to time. Then I remember how often it'd make me have to rush to the bathroom and the nostalgia trip ends!"

Egon laughed a little. With the influx of hormones his usually composed emotional state was replaced by a more positive attitude that would occasionally turn pessimistic until another mood swing hit.

"Thank you for all your help Ray. Without you and Winston I don't think I'd be able to handle this without stressing out."

"It's our pleasure. You're our friend."

"Yes. Friends."

"You're worried about Peter?"

Egon nodded sadly. "He hasn't been the same since his own encounter with the ghosts. I do not want to be changed in such a negative way as he has been changed."

"Don't worry Egon, we won't let anything bad happen to you or to your baby!"

(Twenty six weeks)

Egon was trying to measure his growing belly but it was proving difficult. Being six and a half months pregnant had given him a much larger stomach than he had ever known, which made him feel slightly self-conscious. Throwing aside the tape measure he pulled down on the hem of the t-shirt he was wearing to try and fully cover his stomach, but a small patch of skin was left exposed near the bottom of the fabric. His stomach was almost comically large and round, looking like he had put an overinflated basketball under his shirt!

Ray walked into the bunk room with a bundle of folded clothes in his arms. "Here. I wore these and they helped keep me cover and comfortable. If they can cover my frame then they'll cover yours no problem!"

Egon blushed but accepted the offered clothing. "Thank you."

"Winston and Peter should be back soon. Something about a goblin in the library downtown."

"I see." Egon turned his back to Ray as he took off his shirt and replaced it with a bigger one. "I hope we aren't seeing the first of a swarm. That would be most unfortunate."

"You know Egon, I don't mean to pry but are you sure you're carrying only... one?"

"One what?"

"You know. Baby?"

Egon blushed again as he put both hands on his stomach. "I cannot differentiate between carrying one or multiple seeing as I'm both male and experiencing my first pregnancy. Some people carry larger than others and considering my height-" Egon stopped mid sentence and frowned. "I'm sorry Ray. I know you were just asking a sincere question."

"It's okay. I snapped a few times myself when I was carrying Rachel. But it's just you're almost as big as Peter was and we know he did carry twins. So... you know."

"Yes. I understand. Perhaps it's time I check in with my friend at the clinic. If I am in fact carrying multiples then that means early labor is more likely."

"Want me to go with you?"

"If you'd like. It'd be easier to have you drive than for me to try to reach the wheel with this in the way." He patted his stomach once.

"Amazing how big you get, isn't it?"

"Indeed. I don't believe I will ever complain about ill fitting clothes once this is all over."

(Twenty eight weeks)

Egon and Ray had contacted their mutual friend at the clinic who had aided them with their past 'conditions' and set up an appointment. Once inside the doctor's office Egon and Ray told Dr. Mike Worth about everything that had happened the night Egon was attacked and how they theorized his condition came to be.

"This is truly a pattern now, isn't it?" Mike joked as he prepared the ultrasound.

"Perhaps." Egon admitted as he timidly pulled up his shirt.

Ray stood on the opposite side of the exam table so he could see the monitor clearly.

"Ready?" Mike asked.

"Yes."

"Okay." Mike placed the gel on Egon's large stomach and ran the wand over his belly gently.

"Well?" Egon asked impatiently.

"Well aside from your own personal gender everything looks normal." The monitor showed a humanoid shape that was rather big and moving about sporadically. "Strong heartbeat and- Wait..." Mike moved the wand around a bit more and focused in on a spot near Egon's side. "Correction. Strong heartbeats. Two."

"T-Two?!"

"I knew it!" Ray laughed.

"Like your friend Peter it seems you too are carrying twins."

Egon went pale again.

"And like your friend your body is developing the proper organs for natural delivery. But if you'd like a c-section I'd be happy to pull some strings and get a solo operation going to keep your secret."

"I'll consider it." Egon admitted.

"Now as any other expectant parent I want you to take extra precautions now that we can confirm you're carrying more than one. More rest, more water and monitor your vitamin intake very carefully."

"Yes. Thank you Mike."

"Egon, let me ask you something." Mike turned off the ultrasound and gave Egon a towel to wipe off the gel. "Are you guys doing this on purpose or-"

"No!" Egon snapped a little. "Well, Ray did. But as for Peter and myself this wasn't something we had anticipated or expected."

"I see."

Ray spoke up. "There's an usual species of red color ghosts that seem to be able to use human bodies to regenerate themselves. Have you had any patients with an unexpected pregnancy that they can't explain?"

"Well, ghosts don't normally pop in conversation. But if I hear about one I'll call you."

"Thanks." Ray reached out a hand to help Egon sit up and climb down from the table.

Using the cover of the night and the late hours of Mike's personal office to their advantage the two Ghostbusters managed to get in and out without anyone seeing them.

"It's late. Let's get you back to the firehouse." Ray suggested as he helped Egon get back into his seat in the front.

(Thirty four weeks)

Egon was uncomfortably big and found it too difficult to walk up and down stairs. Residing solely on the second floor the other Ghostbusters frequently checked in on him and brought him plenty of books to read.

Ever since he found out he was carrying twins Egon had spent more time monitoring his growth as well as the activity of the twins kicking about inside his belly.

Peter walked into the bunk room to look for a change of clothes after a messy bust at the junkyard and had a hard time not staring. "Hi Egon."

"Hello Peter."

"Feeling okay?"

"All things considered, yes."

"Good." Peter took off his dirty jumpsuit and shirt and put on a clean shirt. "It's not fun, is it?"

"No." Egon lowered his book to look at Peter. "You haven't spoken of the 'incident' before. Why now?"

"Why not?"

Egon just stared at Peter.

"Look, what happened to me was... It was like a nightmare!" Peter confessed as he sat on the foot of Egon's bed. "I lost my mom when I was still a kid and my dad was never around... I don't know how to be a parent!"

"That's why you..."

"Yeah. That's why." Peter sounded sad and his head bowed. "I think about them all the time. Where they are, what they look like... But I know they're better off with me trying to raise them. I'd just screw them up."

"No you wouldn't."

Peter laughed ironically. "Yeah, I would! WAY more than you or Ray or Winston ever would!"

"Have you considered locating them?"

"Once or twice. But like I said, they're better off without me. Maybe when they turn eighteen I'll track my girls down. Fifteen years is a long time to wait, but maybe in that time the world will be a more understanding place with bigger hearts. It'd be a lot easier to explain things if the rest of the world is ready to hear such incredible truths."

Egon nodded in agreement. "I believe you're right."

Peter patted Egon's leg once before getting up. "Oh, by the way, everything I just told you is SECRET. No one is to know!"

"I promise." Egon smiled lightly. "I'm glad you told me."

"Just... Just take care of yourself, okay? I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Any of you..."

(Thirty eight weeks)

Egon was restless. He couldn't lay down in a comfortable position without his back aching from the incredible weight and size of his belly straining it. Egon himself was shocked at his large size and compared his waistline to that of a yoga ball! Despite the exaggeration the rest of the guys couldn't help but gawk at the huge change in Egon's physique, but no one dared to make a joke. That morning before Egon had noticed that his belly had dropped downward slightly and by that night the slightness was more noticeable.

A call came in early in the following morning that had brought Peter and Winston out to a construction site. During the chase Peter had taken a fall and injured his knee. When Winston helped Peter hobble up the stairs and into the bunk room Egon tried to get up to tend to his friend but was quickly reminded of his limited mobility and could only watch from afar.

"It's okay Egon." Peter insisted as Winston helped him walk over to his own bed. "I'll ice it down and be okay in a day or two."

"Until then-" Winston was stopped short by another alarm going off.

"Go!" Egon pointed toward the door. "Take Ray. I'll be fine."

"O-Okay." Winston stammered as he tossed a bag of ice to Peter. "We'll be back as soon as possible in case-"

"Go!"

"Right..."

Peter gave Egon a twisted smile as Winston left the room. "You seemed pretty anxious to get rid of them."

"I know they mean well, but I've grown tired of their constant hovering."

"Now you know how I feel when I get the flu and you won't leave me alone." Peter set the ice on his knee and relaxed.

"You have a susceptibility to pneumonia. I worry because-" Egon stopped and put his hands on his stomach as a strange shift caught his attention.

"You okay?"

"Yes." Egon nodded. "I believe my time is nearing."

"Wait until the contractions start! Then you'll know for sure."

"I'd rather not."

"You're supposed to go under the knife in two days, right?"

"Yes. Mike has set up a private operating room in advance."

"Cutting it kinda close, aren't you?"

"Unfortunately for Mike to obtain complete privacy of an operating room he needed to be patient accept the most appropriate date. I'm uncomfortable with the narrow timeframe myself, but I'd prefer this over natural delivery."

"Hard to believe you're going through this too! It's hard to believe it was already Rachel's first birthday last week. Time is an enemy to us all. But at least we can still take whatever life throws at us in stride."

"Yes. It's a very rare opportunity. I'm grateful to have friends who had assisted me here at the firehouse and to have a friend waiting for me at the hospital."

"Lucky."

"Peter, you didn't want to go to the hospital. You were afraid of being seen."

"Yeah... so?"

"That's not luck, that's-" Egon stopped short again. He tried to adjust his posture as he sat upright on his bed.

"You... You okay?"

"My back." Egon complained.

"Uh... Has this been a problem for a while?"

"My back has been bothering me considerably for the past three months, but today the muscles in my lower back seem to be spasming."

"Are you sure it's just a muscle spasm?" Peter sounded very concerned for Egon.

"I believe I would-" Egon paused as he realized what Peter was hinting at.

"When it happened to me there was a sharp pain through my stomach and then my back would spasm for a few seconds, or it would spasm along with the contractions."

"I sincerely hope this is nothing more than routine back pain."

"So do I."

Unbeknownst to Egon and Peter a massive traffic accident had ground all traffic to halt and had stranded Ray and Winston a dozen blocks away from the firehouse. The car was stuck in the middle of the traffic jam and there was no way they'd be able to move until the accident was cleaned up and the road cleared.

Ten minutes since Egon first felt the back pain a second wave of pain suddenly hit him. He groaned in pain and tried to lean forward on his bed.

"Egon?" Peter limped over the bed and sat down on the edge. "Please tell me you're going to make it another two days!"

"Peter..." Egon breathed heavily until the pain passed. "It's time."

"Oh boy..."

"It'll be fine." Egon tried to remain calm. "I'm sure Ray and Winston will return within the hour."

"Right, yeah. Do you want me to call Mike?"

"No. Mike cannot perform a c-section inside the firehouse and he's less informed on this situation than we are. Even if he could find an excuse to leave his office for the day he wouldn't be of much service."

"Do you... need anything?"

"Water. Please."

"On it!"

An hour passed with no sign of Ray or Winston. Peter had given Egon some water and was keeping his friend as calm as possible. Discreetly Peter checked in with Ray over the radio and had learned of the traffic problem. To keep Egon from stressing Peter kept the secret and stepped up to help his friend in his time of need.

Egon's contractions became more frequent, lasted longer with each wave of pain and had become more obvious. This wasn't false labor or Egon's body preparing for delivery, it was his time and there was nothing they could do to slow it down.

"Ow..." Egon groaned as he turned onto his side and buried his face into his pillow.

Drenched in sweat Egon wrapped his arms around his contracting stomach and breathed through the pain. Peter took the bag of ice that had been used on his own knee and gently pressed against Egon's hot forehead as he pulled Egon's glasses from his face.

"I know it hurts, trust me."

"Peter... I now understand why you and Ray... Why you were so exhausted..."

"It'll be fine."

"No!" Egon suddenly turned over onto his back and pressed his hands to his face. "This isn't fine!"

"Uh... What do you want me to do?"

"Peter..."

"What?! No way! I can't do that!"

"Yes... You can!"

"But... You and Ray are the ones with medical training!"

"I can't do this alone and Ray isn't here."

"I..."

"Please!"

"Okay! Okay!" Hearing the pain in Egon's voice was all it took for Peter to react. Pulling the blanket off of Ray's bed he draped it over Egon's lower body and took a deep breath. "Tell me what to do to help you."

"I need... to sit up."

"Right." Peter limped around the room gracelessly as he gathered up pillows to put behind Egon's back to support him. "Now what?"

"Need you to... check."

"Uh... right." Peter moved the blanket as he helped Egon put his legs in a more appropriate position. Pulling off the baggy shorts Egon had been wearing Peter reluctantly check in on his friend's condition. "Egon, do me a favor?"

"What?"

"NEVER ask me to do that again!"

"Deal."

"From the looks of things you're going to be a father in less than twenty minutes. Until then what do we need?"

"Blankets and towels. And a first aid kit."

"Okay, yeah. Extra blankets in the hall closet and the first aid kit is in your lab. Easy."

While Peter left the room Egon put his hands on his stomach and rubbed it lightly. He could feel the muscles in his abdomen tighten and relax rhythmically as his body began pushing the twins down, lower and lower into his temporary birth canal. The pressure was becoming intense and the pain was almost searing him to his core!

"This will be over soon... Then I must find a way to make our jumpsuits completely resistant to red slime!"

"Got it!" Peter limped back into the bunk room with the first aid kit and the additional blankets. "Now what?"

"When they're born you'll need to clean..." He paused and breathed through another contraction. "You'll need to clean them up and swaddle them to keep them warm."

"Yeah, no problem."

"Good."

Peter placed a towel down beneath Egon's legs and set the rest down at the foot of the bed with the blankets.

"OW!" Egon groaned sharply as he felt his entire stomach suddenly contract. "Peter!"

"I'm here for you buddy!" Peter grabbed onto Egon's hand and held tightly.

Squeezing the life out of Peter's hand Egon mentally prepared himself for the incredible pain he was about to endure. "It's time!"

"Right! Okay! This is happening!" Peter positioned himself at the foot of the bed and put a pair of gloves on that he pulled out of the first aid kit. "Perfectly natural..."

When the next contraction tore itself through Egon's body he bore down and pushed with as much strength as he could muster. There was little progress but he knew he had to keep pushing with each contraction.

"Take a breath and do it again!" Peter urged.

Taking Peter's advice Egon once again pushed and felt a burning sensation. "Peter!"

"Head's crowning Egon!" Peter stated in a surprisingly calm tone of voice. "I got this part, try to relax a little."

Egon began panting as Peter eased out the head of the first twin and carefully. A pulling sensation was all Egon could feel as the burning suddenly stopped and the shrill cries of a newborn filled the air.

"It's... a boy." Peter stated in shock as he tied off the umbilical cord and swaddled the newborn in the soft blanket. "You have a son."

"...A son..."

"He looks completely healthy!" Peter beamed as he carried the baby over to Egon to see. "Dark hair, blue eyes..."

"Like my mother..." Egon gently took the infant's tiny hand between his fingers and rubbed the small palm affectionately. "My son. Logan."

"Logan?"

"My best friend growing up. He was killed in a car accident when we were seven... Never forgot about him." The moment of joy was pushed aside quickly as another wave of painful contractions surged through Egon's stomach. "Peter!"

"Okay, okay..." Softly Peter laid the tiny newborn down in the center of Ray's bed next to Egon's bed and made sure the blanket was wrapped snugly around him. "Just like last time!"

Egon waited for his body to react and he responded accordingly.

"Almost there! Wait..." Peter put his hand down on Egon's stomach. "Don't push! It's face down... And the cord is around the neck..."

A chilling fear shot up Egon's spine. "What?"

"It's fine, I can fix it." Peter put his hands firmly down on Egon's stomach. "You won't like this but I can turn it over then untangle the cord."

"I... trust you."

"I'm sorry about this!" Peter apologized as he pushed down uncomfortably against Egon's belly and used the force to turn over the unborn baby so it could be in the appropriate position for birth.

Egon fought the urge to throw Peter's hands off of him. He knew that it was for the best and that he'd just have to endure for the sake of his unborn child.

"Okay, it's turned over!" Peter's voice was confident. "Now I just need to gently unwrap the cord... Okay! It's clear! Push!"

As soon as the next contraction began Egon bore down and pushed. Just as before Peter eased out the head and let the newborn slip into his awaiting hands.

"Egon..."

"What is it?" He panted as he felt every ounce of strength away from his body. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just... You have a daughter."

"A... girl."

"Huh. One of each!" Peter clamped off the cord and swaddled the newborn just as he had done so for her older brother. "Light hair and... green eyes! Never seen a newborn with green eyes!"

"Recessive gene..." Egon stated as he took the newborn and held her in his arms. "She's beautiful. My daughter. Lillian. Lily."

"Another friend?"

"No. My mother's middle name."

"Well," Peter picked up Logan and held him near Egon. "you're officially a father. If a single mother can raise kids on her own then I know four guys with a couple of Ph.D's can't screw up too badly!"

"Funny..."

"Take it easy Egon, you're going to be a great dad."

"I hope so..."

Another twenty minutes passed by. With the twins delivered and Egon recovering in the bunk room Peter ended up cleaning up the room and calling Mike to tell him about what happened. As Egon's friend he promised to stop by the firehouse to check on everyone and help out if necessary.

Ray and Winston returned to the firehouse and rushed up the second floor. "Sorry guys! Traffic was... Was..."

Ray stopped short when he saw Peter sitting on his bed with two newborns in his arms and Egon sleeping in his own bed across from Peter.

"Oh man... We missed it!"

"What?!" Winston smiled as he rushed into the room to look at the small babies in Peter's arms. "Aw man, sorry guys! If we had known..."

"Yeah, yeah." Peter handed Logan to Winston. "Here. Meet your honorary nephew. This is you honorary niece."

Ray walked over to Egon's bed and put his hand on Egon's shoulder. "Everything okay? No complications."

"Nothing we couldn't handle. Now..." Peter walked over to Ray and handed him Lily. "I need to go home. I have something very important to think about. Let me know if anything happens."

Ray happily cradled Lily while Winston held tightly onto Logan.

"Think you'll join us?" Ray joked with Winston.

"Nah! I love kids but I don't think I'd want to break 'tradition'."

"Okay pal, whatever you say. It's your loss!"

 **-End(?)**

 ***** feel free to continue this story, just don't kill anyone off.


End file.
